WotC's Jeremy Crawford posted about some D&D-related data -- most people play humans, without feats, and base their choices on the character's background rather than starting with a class (update - clarified, below).

The second in the series of alien race sourcebooks is out for What's OLD is NEW fans. The Holds of Vendalyr delves into the mysteries of the (colloquially named) Venetian race, who have colonized the Beehive Cluster, about 180 parsecs from Sol. The PDF is out now, with the softcover coming to DTRPG and Amazon very soon.

The Orr Group - the company behind the popular Roll20 virtual tabletop - released its report for Quarter 4, 2017 recently. They report that D&D hard a larger than usual bump, and that Pathfinder also saw positive growth in the quarter. UP until recently, Roll20 has been an official licensee for D&D; as of this week, they are now an official licensee for Pathfinder and Starfinder, too, so those games might see a bump next quarter (though we won't see those figures for six months).

Satine Phoenix had already done a lot in the game industry before becoming one of the more recognizable women in the industry and a celebrity GM due to her work DMing for the official D&D Twitch channel and her popular video series, GM Tips. This is the second part of our interview with Satine, you'll find the first part here.

Paizo's website has been given an enormous update, redesigning it significantly. The previous design, which had been in place for about 15 years, has been replaced with a more modern, streamlined design.

Back in 2013, Palladium Books successfully funded a miniature wargame based on the Robotech Role-Playing Game (originally published by Palladium in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and reprinted up until 1998). They raised over $1.4 million from over 5,000 backers. However, Kevin Sembieda, president of Palladium, announced today that they were not going to be able to provide some of the rewards for the Kickstarter; and, further still, that Palladium's license to produce Robotech gaming material had expired and would not be renewed.

Welcome back to our weekly look at tabletop roleplaying game, and accessories, crowdfunding roundup! Each week we’ll be looking at a few campaigns currently running that have caught our eye as well as occasionally speaking to some of the creators about their campaigns, or looking at some of the ‘behind the scenes’ business aspects of putting together, launching, operating and then delivering a crowdfunded project. If you have anything you’d like us to cover, or questions about anything we talk about, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me directly.

While you've been able to play Pathfinder on various VTT's for ages, Paizo has teamed up with Roll20 to bring both Pathfinder and Starfinder to Roll20. They'll be launching with the War for the Crown adventure path. Lots of pretty pictures below!

With the rise of PDF and POD (print on demand) publishing powering more role-playing publishers, one thing that I have advocated for a while now is that there is really no longer much of a reason for games to go out of print. Today I am going to look at the new POD versions of Star Frontiers and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia available via the OneBookShelf sites.

The latest issue of WotC's in-house magazine, Dragon+, has appeared on (virtual) bookshelves. This one is billed as a "crossover" edition, featuring converted D&D material from Magic: the Gathering, the Neverwinter MMO, and more.

I'm really excited to introduce Mike Myler as the new editor of EN World EN5ider! We're near 200 issues in and EN5ider has proven to be the premiere place to get the elite 5th Edition content cultivated from the best DnD writers around! 1,200 patrons can't be wrong! Pay as much or as little as you like!

Today I discuss establishing a setting's law enforcement and judicial system. Historical sources indicate examples of organized court systems - Aeschylus' Oristeia depicts the foundation of Athenian law and trials, with a jury of 12 citizens, and wise magistrates are a common feature of Chinese parables. A court will require some infrastructure,which will inform how one develops the rest of the justice system in the setting proper.

Dungeons & Dragons evolved from a miniature wargame with a referee to a role-playing game with as many as 20 players managed by a Game Master, to massive multiplayers where there are no referees at all. D&D's model of play is highly flexible, but its expression in other mediums has shown that the model where "anything can be attempted" has limits before something breaks down, and it starts with the referee.

A rundown of the New Releases that should be hitting games stores this coming week! Board games, card games, RPGs, Wargames, Miniatures and collectible games... hopefully something for everyone! In addition to the games hitting your local store we also take a look at a few RPG PDF releases from the last week that we hope may be of interest. For more information about any of the physical products please contact your local games store.

Role-playing is a unique hobby. Despite thousands of RPGs and millions of players there are few instances where standards for one group are shared by another. Chances are good, that my game only resembles your game; even if we're running the same edition, even if we're using the same module. Though I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, there's countless ways to (RP or) play D&D… But just in case you needed one more, Avalon Games has produced a superhero themed supplement: Heroes Wear Masks, which is skinned for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (most recently), & Pathfinder.

Satine Phoenix might be the most recognizable woman in the game industry. Her popular video series GM Tips, regularly has about 100,000 views per episode. She's a GM for D&D's official Twitch channel, where she co-created Maze Arcana and DMs the popular Sirens of the Realms stream, in addition to her career as a model. artist and cosplayer. She also created both DrawMelt and DnDMelt at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, founded CelebrityChariD20 and co-created the graphic novel series New Praetorians, and among other projects. With so much going on and convention season starting, Satine was gracious enough to carve some time out of her busy schedule to talk about gaming.

This week I admittedly indulge a bit in some self-promotion for the upcoming Freedom Squadron Kickstarter, but I do so by pointing out a number of other great products oriented around military, paramilitary, and special operations in roleplaying. All who design in this field stand on the shoulders of giants, and I am thrilled that others have created such interesting and exceptional products to support that style of exciting and intriguing game play. Check them out!

Welcome to the Legend of the Heart Eater. A warlock subclass that can be inserted into play when a character dies, giving that character a second chance at life... with a price. By James Haeck; illustrated by Kim Van Deun. Only on EN5ider, the 5E patreon!

EN World Reviews

Mists of Akuma may be the Meiji – Punk post-apocalypse RPG setting you never knew that you needed. The game enlists your character in the tragic tale that is Soburin, offering a dizzying array of possible cultural hooks to embrace.

Even though I’ve played and enjoyed just about every edition of Dungeons & Dragons, with an exception to 4th, I’ve pretty much stayed out of the fray in regards to D&D clones. I’ve somewhat maintained the semblance of a semi-regular D&D Basic campaign (live game) for about two years, primarily relying on the Rules Cyclopedia, and occasionally mixing (and experimenting) in elements from games like HackMaster as well as more recently, Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Like any role-playing alchemist, I’ll never stop mixing. And since Mazes & Perils Deluxe Edition is a clone of Holmes Basic D&D, I’m eager to take a closer look.

This is the Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone…. Mayday. Mayday…. We are under attack…. Main drive is gone… Turret number one not responding…. Mayday…. Losing cabin pressure fast calling anyone…. Please help…. This is the Free Trader Beowulf…. Mayday…. Bold explorers and brave travellers journey between the stars in Traveller the science fiction roleplaying game by Mongoose Publishing.

I love zines. And, really, who doesn't? Zines are the ultimate expression of the DIY (do-it-yourself) aesthetic that has always been central to role-playing games. With crowd funding sites like Patreon, zines can become, while perhaps not profitable but at least self-sustaining. Kobold Press is using the site to bring out their print zine for Dungeons & Dragons 5E, Warlock. Let's take a look at the most recent couple of issues.

Welcome once more to our monthly roundup of offerings from the Statosphere, the community-generated content portal for the Unknown Armies RPG. This month, we're taking a look at a trio of titles to drop into—or even kick off—your campaigns.